Law Minister: Journos can’t be arrested immediately in DSA case
Law Minister Anisul Haque speaks at a discussion on Bangabandhu killing, organized by Sampritir Bangladesh, at the National Press Club on Tuesday Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Report
Publish : 04 Nov 2021, 07:44 PMUpdate : 04 Nov 2021, 07:44 PM
Journalists cannot be arrested immediately after the filing of a case under the Digital Security Act (DSA), says Law Minister Anisul Haque.
“I mean, we’re going to be tough on the misuse of the Digital Security Act. Action will be taken against anyone who misuses or abuses it,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“It was not enacted to muzzle freedom of speech or freedom of the press,” he said, adding that he had already spoken to the home minister about taking action against those who were abusing it.
The minister said that he had also spoken to the home minister to ensure that journalists were not immediately arrested when cases were filed against them.
“He told me it would be done that way,” he said, adding that a case would be registered immediately but the complaint would be scrutinized before arrest.
The Bangladesh government has ignored repeated calls for the repeal of the draconian law since it came into effect three years ago.
According to the governance and research platform, Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), more than 1,500 cases were filed under the DSA-2018 between January 1, 2020 and September 15, 2021.
The CGS tracked the details of 668 cases till September 7 this year and found that the total number of accused in these cases was 1,516. Among them the professions of only 571 people could be known. Of them 142 were journalists.
Law Minister: Journos can’t be arrested immediately in DSA case
Journalists cannot be arrested immediately after the filing of a case under the Digital Security Act (DSA), says Law Minister Anisul Haque.
“I mean, we’re going to be tough on the misuse of the Digital Security Act. Action will be taken against anyone who misuses or abuses it,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“It was not enacted to muzzle freedom of speech or freedom of the press,” he said, adding that he had already spoken to the home minister about taking action against those who were abusing it.
The minister said that he had also spoken to the home minister to ensure that journalists were not immediately arrested when cases were filed against them.
“He told me it would be done that way,” he said, adding that a case would be registered immediately but the complaint would be scrutinized before arrest.
The Bangladesh government has ignored repeated calls for the repeal of the draconian law since it came into effect three years ago.
According to the governance and research platform, Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), more than 1,500 cases were filed under the DSA-2018 between January 1, 2020 and September 15, 2021.
The CGS tracked the details of 668 cases till September 7 this year and found that the total number of accused in these cases was 1,516. Among them the professions of only 571 people could be known. Of them 142 were journalists.